Coriolis flow sensors are used to measure the mass flow and/or density of a fluid flowing through a channel. Current coriolis flow sensors are predominately large size flow sensors. Although large size flow sensors are adequate for detecting mass flow of a liquid through large channels, current sensors are insufficient for detecting mass flow on smaller scales. Current coriolis sensors are also insufficient for detecting mass flow of a gas due to rigid nature of current structures and materials.
Some work has been directed to developing microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) comprising coriolis flow sensors. MEMS components are expensive to manufacture and are not suitable for low-cost or low-volume applications. MEMS coriolis flow sensors are further limited to liquid phase only sensors, as the lower density of a gas phase may be difficult for a MEMS-based coriolis sensor to detect.